Secret Christmas
by Amuto-4eva
Summary: A special Christmas story for my readers. Sorry for the long Haitus :  and Merry Christmas!


**Shay-** I'm back! It's a Christmas miracle! WOOHOO!

to catch you up on things...

1) I'm a freshmen

2) I'm 15 years old

3) ITS CHRISTMAS! XD

**Ikuto:** no dip Sherlock -_-

**Shay:** YOU SHUT UP! ...i mean...please be quiet dear Ikuto 0:-)

**Ikuto:** You're definitely on the naughty list...

**Shay: **And you're on the pervy-list :P

**Ikuto:** heh. cant argue with that ;)

**Shay:** anyways...so I'm on Christmas break (since December 23) and I had a bunch of semester finals on Monday and Tuesday. ~ It was TORTURE!

**Amu:** hey Shay! _***reads everything up till now***_ Must have been tough for you. But lets forget about that. What did you get for Christmas!

**Shay:** well I DID want the new Harry Potter game (years 1-4) and this book series I've been dieing to read, but instead, my parents give me $50 to buy my own present. -_- Great huh!(says sarcastically)

and all my relatives gave me money too. -_-

But lets forget about me. I want to know what all the readers got for Christmas! So when(not if...WHEN) you review..include your presents :)

**Ikuto:** really...Harry potter game and a book series...BORING!

**Amu:** IKUTO! WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS!

**Ikuto: _*idea*_** They're up your shirt! Let me go get them. _***smirk***_

**Amu: **y...you stay away from m...me!

**Shay:** um...you guys...

**Ikuto/Amu:** what?

**Shay: _*points up*_**

_-there's a mistletoe-_

**Amu:** o.O

**Ikuto:** ;D Amu! time for your Christmas present!**_ *sticks a bow on himself*_**

**Amu: **I didn't ask for this!**_  
_**

**_-WARNING! DUE TO THE CONTENTS OF THIS SCENE...IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS SKIT.(R+)-_**

**_Shay: o/./o _**I SAW NOTHING!

_Start the story!_**_ START THE STORY!_**

**_(OH...and please R&R) :D_**

_(i apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes/ out of character~ness)__(oh and there's cussing in this...just saying)_**  
**

* * *

**.:December 25th:.**

I stand in front of my front door and look up at my house. Actually, you can't **really** call it a house. It's more like a small mansion. Let me put it this way.

My parents are filthy rich.

Not like I care or anything. Money doesn't really matter to me. I just use a reasonable amount for necessities.

Don't have a lot of friends either. Don't need that many. I learned at at early age that all my so called just hung around me for the money. Not for me. So i stayed away from people. Well except for Kaito and the gang. They didn't care who i was or how much money I had. They liked me for me. I smile remembering that day.

...

**_~flashback~_**

I had just gotten out of school that day and was heading home. Everything was quiet. Too quiet, i realized. I looked around. The streets were completely deserted. That's when i realized what had happened.

I had taken a wrong turn.

This was the part of town where criminals and thugs hang around. Definitely NOT the place you want to find yourself at. I turned around trying to go back the way i came, but it was too late.

I had been spotted.

Out of nowhere, 10 guys come out of an alleyway. They were all pretty muscular and they all had weapons. I could remember thinking _*Oh SHIT!*_  
There was no escape. All my exits were blocked. When they were close enough though, i realized who they were. And who their leader was.

Hello Tadase.

Tadase came up to the front.  
Why hello Ikuto. Still as gloomy as ever I see. He smiled wickedly.  
Aww. Is little Tadase still playing king? I can see you have gathered yourself some followers. How much you paying them? Tadase immediately turned red with fury.

_*Heh. Must of been right on the mark.__*_

"Y...you shut up! I'm not paying them anything! They follow me...I mean they hang around me because we're friends!"

He was obviously lieing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some of the guys make weird faces when he mentioned they were friends.

You sure about that? I remember the good old days. You were always following me around saying 'Ikuto-niisan! Ikuto-niisan! Play with me!' Remember that? You were so cute back then too. So happened?

That got him fired up.

That's enough out of you! Boys. I think Ikuto here needs to learn a little lesson on who's in charge. Don't you agree. All the guys started crackling their knuckles and warming up their weapons.. _*crap* _I starter to get worried. There was no way i was going to get out of this one. But I'm not going to let go of my pri-***WHAM!*** I couldn't even finish that thought. Something had come from behind me and pushed me to the ground. _*Dammit that hurts!*_

"How's it feel you piece of trash! To not be able to protect yourself. Sucks doesn't it. Well that's what you deserve."

I tried to get up. It hurt like hell. But i couldn't.** *SLAM* *KICK* *PUNCH* **They were coming at me from all angles. I didn't even have time to defend myself. Every time I swung my arm at one of them, another just came from the back and beat me to the punch.

There were too may of them.

Muahahaahahahahaha! YES! YES! BEAT HIM TO A PULP! MAKE HIM SUFFER!"  
I felt so angry at myself for not being able to do anything. I could taste the blood in my mouth. Feel the cuts and bruises all over my body.  
_*I guess this is how it ends.*_ One last punch and I would black out.

I closed my eyes, ready to take on that last burst of pain. But nothing came. Opening my eyes, I saw all the followers unconscious on the ground. "How di-" I started saying, when I heard a body fall with a grunt behind me. I turned around to an an unbelievable sight. There laid Tadase on the floor. Bloody and all beat up. And standing there in front of him, were a group of boys I had as classmates last year and one who was slightly familiar. But I didn't pay any mind to it. They probably did it for the money anyways.

"Hey." I hear one of them say. I didn't think they were talking to me.  
"You death? Didn't you hear me talking to you?"  
I looked up at them.  
"Hello! Are the lights on in their?"Another one said.  
I just stared at them.

"Look. You obviously don't want to waste your time, so just tell me how much money you want and leave."

They all stared at me with disbelief.  
"You know what. Just take it all." I said throwing my wallet at them.

One of the guys walked up to the wallet.  
"You think we want your money? He said expression-less.

"Obviously. Why else would you help me? You knew who i was and how much money my family has. So you decided to help me out and make a quick buck.

They all started laughing. But not the 'haha' kind of laugh. The 'is this guy kidding me' kind of laugh. I was confused.

"THE FUCK WE WANT YOUR STINKING MONEY!" he yelled throwing the wallet in my face. It hurt.

"We just happened to walk buy and saw you getting the crap beat out of you and decided to give you a hand. Is that so hard to believe? You must be one of those rich-bastards that think they can buy their way out of anything with money. Well news flash bub. YOU CANT! so i suggest you get that pretty boy looking face and your fucking arrogant attitude out of my sight before I smack the daylight out of you!"

I just sat there wide-eyed. "You mean, you guys **don't **know who i am? You **don't **want my money?"  
"What the fuck have you been hearing while I was talking to you! NO! we don't want your stupid money!"

He looked at me in disgust.

"Come on Kaito. We're wasting our time here. Let's just go." some guy said from the back.

_*wait...Kaito? If I'm not mistaken.*_

You're Kaito? Kaito Yamazaki?"

He turned around.

"How the fuck do you know my name? Who are you with? I swear if you're from the red squa-"  
"No! It's me! Ikuto! remember! from 4th grade. The guy you hung out with everday day after school. And then beat me up when you found out I made your sister cry from rejecting her."

"Ikuto...Ikuto Tsukiyomi! Dude! Its been forever! How you've been?" He started to walk up to me.

"I've been better. Didn't recognized you though. Dyed your hair blonde i see. You still have that sister-complex of yours?" I smirked. Kaito blushed.

"N...NO! I got over that a long time ago!" All the guys started laughing. I couldn't help myself from joining in.

"Well thanks for saving my butt. I'm glad you're not one of those guys who would save me for money."

He smiled at me.

"Nah. We don't really need it. In fact, everyone in this gang comes from a wealth family. We just couldn't stand it and decided to leave it all behind."

"That's cool."

We just stayed silent for a minute when one of the guys blurted out,  
"So are you gonna join the gang or not?"  
"I was getting to that!" Kaito said.  
"Well you sure were taking your time asking."  
"It was for dramatic effect!"

Everyone started laughing again.

_*I could get used to this.*_

"Sure. Why not. I got nothing better to do."

"there's that same old attitude of yours." Kaito said.

I tried to stand up but couldn't._ *Damn. forgot about these bruises.*_ I didn't want to worry anyone.

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up to you later. Got some things to think about."

The next thing I know, I'm being carried off on someones shoulders.

"That ain't fooling no one Ikuto." One of the guys said. "You're part of the gang now. We look out for each." "Yeah. Let's get you to the hospital." 2 others said.

_*heh. These guys are all right.*_

**_~end of flashback~_**

...

That was one of the best days of my life. Aside from the getting beat up part, but if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have met Kaito and them.

~.~.~.~.~.~

I walk to the door and turn the knob. "I'm home!" I yelled as i stepped in.

No response.

Same as always. Didn't really matter to me though. I'd gotten used to the loneliness and quietness. But today was a different story.

I am sick and tired of coming home to an empty house every single day. I Especially don't want to be alone today. The day of all days.

Christmas.

So I put on a jacket, grabbed my violin case, and walked out.  
I don't even know where I'm going. Just letting my feet guide the way to an unknown destination.

As I stroll along, I notice the true cruelty of the world. On my left, a stray dog limping on one foot. Not even one person passing by pays attention to it. On my right, a homeless man holding a cup, pleading for some spare change. He probably has a family to feed.

I was right.

"COME BACK HERE YOU ROTTEN LITTLE KIDS!" I hear behind me. It was a manager from a Taiyaki stand. I could tell from the picture on his apron.

"Daddy! Help us! Cried 2 little girls. They couldn't have been more than 7, even 8 years old.

I watched them running towards their father as fast as they could.

***THUD***

One of them fell.  
Now you're gonna get it! The manager screamed.  
I couldn't watch this for any longer.

Just as he was about to strike the girl, I stepped in and stopped his arm with my hand.  
"What happens to be the problem?" I said

"Its none of your business young man. Stay out of it!"  
I didnt let go.  
"I said...What happens to be the problem, sir."

"He looked at me and let out a frustrated sigh." I let go of his arm.  
"If you must know, these rotten-nosed kids were stealing from my stand! Damn kids. Always thinking they can get away with anything!"  
I looked at the mess of taiyaki on the floor.

"As you can see, they are thieves and should receive punishm-"

"I'll pay for it."

"Wha-? Young man, you have nothing to do with this."  
"Does that really matter? You're getting your money. You should be satisfied shouldn't you."

I took out my wallet and gave him half of what was in it.  
"This should be enough. Now could you please leave these poor children alone."

The man stared at me dumbfounded, looked at the money, then walked away the way he came.

I gathered up all the taiyaki on the ground and turned to the little girl staring up at me.  
"Here." I said while handing them to her.

She stared at me for a while. Her look of fear turned to confusion, then turned into a bright smile. I rustled her hair alittle and helped her up to her feet. Then I looked at the man with the cup. This time he had a little girl behind him. She looked exactly like the one who had fallen. Twins.

I walked toward them. Gave them both a smile and handed the man the rest of my money. I was about to talk away when i felt a tug on my shirt. It was both of the girls.  
I knelt down to my knees and looked at them.  
"And what are your names?" I asked.

They both looked at each other and then turned back to me.  
"My name is Kanon." said the one that had fallen.  
"And my name is Karin." said the one that had been behind the father.

I reached inside my pocket, recalling something I had been given the other day.

"Reach out your hands" I told them. They both did. In their hands, I dropped 2 pieces of candy.

Candycanes.

Kanon and Karin's eyes lit up like Christmas tree.  
I stood up to leave again, when i was interrupted my their fathers voice.

"Young man, why are you doing this for us?" he said with a confused look on his face. "We couldn't possibly take all your money. You've done enough as it is." He held out the money.

I stood there for a while and wondered, _*why DID i help them out? I could have just walked away and pretended I had never seen a thing, and yet, I hhelped them out*_

I think I knew the answer.

"Dont worry about it. I said, pushing the money back into his hands. It's Christmas, the season of giving. That's enough explanation in itself."

The family stared at me. Like they couldn't believe what had just happened. I turned around and started to leave. Then, just as I was almost out of hearing range, I heard a faint,

"Thank you young man!" "Thank you onii-chan!"  
"We will never forget you!"  
I just lifted my hand and waved a silent goodbye to them.

The real reason I had helped them out didnt really have anything to do with Christmas. It was the family itself. There they were, a poor and broken family with no mother, in the middle of winter, on Christmas day, living on the streets together and help each other out. It didn't matter to them where or how they lived as long as they were together. That's really all that matters. I guess that's the kind of family I've always wanted. So if **I **couldn't have a good Christmas with my family, at least someone else could.

...

**.:The Park:.**

Walking down this empty side walk, I see the true beauty of nature.

I see the pure and sparkling whiteness of the snow. The ,peacefulness of the lake, now completly frozen. The prefect ice rink. Even the birds chirping up in the sky as they head south is music to my ears. Then out in front of me, I see a lonley bench in the middle of it all.

_*Might as well*_ I thought. It's not like I have anywhere to go. I am NOT going back to that empty place. No one is going to notice me anyways. And Kaito and the rest of them are either with their girlfriends or out of town for the holidays. So I was told. I didn't want to bother them.

So I'm stuck having to stay here. No money to stay friends, family , or girlfriend, to spend time with. Just me, myself ,and I. All alone, on Christmas, in a park, on a bench. So I might as well make the most of it.

I laid there on the bench. Using my case as a pillow, and slowly and silently, started to fall asleep.

...

**-poke-**

_hmm?_

**-poke- **

_what the?_

**"Rima, you think, he's dead?"**

_No im not dead idiot._

**"of course hes not deas tupid. Cant you see he's breathing!"**

_Atleast **SOMONE** has some common sense._

**"Maybe you should poke him again."**

_ummm..maybe u shouldn't!_

**"Yaya doesn't want to anymore! Rima! you do it!"**

_how about no one does it!_

**"N..no way! Amu you do it!"**

_Who the heck are these people and why do they want to poke me?_

**"W..why should **I** do it?"**

_***bathump*** okay...what was that?_

**Because you're the one who said, 'Hey. look at that hot guy laying on the bench.' So you should be the one to do it since you pointed him out in the first place!"**

_heh. well I am pretty attractive. _

**"Whaaa...I...I didnt say-"**

_***bathump* **there it is again. Is my body reacting to her voice?_

**_"Dont even try to deny it Amu. You know you did. Now go and poke him!"_**

_**someones **a little pushy..Guess I should "wake up" now._

I slowly started to open my eyes, trying not to startle them. And that's when I saw...

Her.

She was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. The gentleness of her honey-gold eyes. Her soft-looking hair that fell perfectly on her face. Pink hair I might add. That's a first. And then there's the slight child-like structure of her face. I was absorbed by it all.

"So cute." I accidental said out loud. Which I immediately regretted for I soon found myself blushing.

That was a real surprise. I couldn't even remember the last time I had blushed, and yet here I am, as red as a tomato. But it was nothing compared to the blush on her face. Lets just say, 'volcano erupting' wouldn't even begin to cover it.

The girls screamed as their friend_ (Amu was it?) _rushed over to them. They started whispering about something i couldn't quite hear. I sat up.

Amu. The name just brings a smile to my face. The taste of it in my mouth is as sweet as milk chocolate. The sound of it in my ears is like an angelic tune, pulling my heat strings. I've never felt like this in my entire life.

I glanced in their direction and realized they had stopped talking and were now staring at me. Well except for Amu_ (man i love that name),_ who wouldn't even look in my direction. _*Again...so cute*_

wanting to tease them, I showed them one of my signature "deadly smirks".

The other 2 screamed while turning bright red and jumping up and down. _*He shoots..he score_s.*

I started to get but they quickly ran off._ *guess I over did it a little_.*

I watched them run off across the snow-covered grass, when something unexpected happened.

Slightly hesitant, Amu turned around and ran back toward me.  
I stared at her in shock. She slowed down in front of me.  
Amu looked up at me with those adorable eyes of hers and took off her scarf.

"Wha-"I started to say, but as she held it over my head, I knew what she was doing.

I smiled.

Merry Christmas...uhhh...

"Ikuto." I said with a warm voice.

She broke into a smile as well. Her blush still has red as before.

Merry Christmas I..Ikuto.

(At that moment, I realized. It didn't matter what had happened in the past. It didn't matter that my parents were never home. It didn't matter that my sister didn't even care enough to say hello to me in the mornings. All that mattered was this moment. Now. The moment I would remember for the rest of my life.)

And with that she was off.

...

**.:Ikuto's house:.**

Recalling the incident with Karin and Kanon, I decided to go back home. Though it didn't matter that anyone was there, it was still home. **My** home. and I should be grateful for it.

I opened the door.

"I'm home!" I said once again, knowing no one would answer...

I was wrong.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS IKUTO!"  
was yelled into my face.

In my house, were my parents, my sister, and my friends.  
They started to crowd around me, bombarding me with questions.

"Dude! where have you been?"  
"Its not a girlfriend right? you turn everyone down."  
"Do you know how worried we were?"  
"Young man! Do you know what time it is?"  
and on and on.

I couldn't help feeling happy.

"Hey Ikuto." said Kaito.  
I turned to him.  
"Yeah?"  
"Where did you get that scarf?"

I looked at the scarf around my neck that Amu had given me.  
When I looked up, everyone was looking at me, waiting for the answer.

I just grinned at them, put a finger on my mouth, and said

**It's a secret.**

* * *

I'd like to thank all my readers, reviewers, and favoriters, who have stuck with me up till now. :)  
Even though I hardly ever update anymore, I really appreciate all the support you've given.  
Without you guys, I wouldn't have the inspiration on motivation to write my stories.

So thanks again everyone, and I hope you all have a

**!Merry Christmas!**

**^w^**


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